Mari Carr

His comeback was supposed to be behind the bench—until she put his heart back in play.

Dean Fields thought he’d already played his final hockey period. Forced to retire after a brutal, career-ending injury, Dean traded skates for a clipboard, grinding his way through assistant coaching jobs across the league. He built a life in the shadows of the game he loved—controlled, disciplined, safe. Because if hockey had taught him anything, it was how quickly everything you want can be taken from you.

Coming back to Baltimore as head coach of the Stingrays was supposed to be just another step forward. It wasn’t supposed to bring her back into his life. Vivian Kelly had once been off-limits—his teammate’s little sister, too young, too bright. Dean had noticed her anyway.

Five years a widow, raising her spirited daughter Pip on her own, Vivian has spent long enough grieving the life she lost—and convincing herself it was enough. Love was something she had. Something she buried. Something she wasn’t sure she’d ever risk again. But Dean isn’t the same man she once knew. And she isn’t the girl who watched him from afar.

What starts as familiarity—shared history, quiet understanding—quickly turns into something deeper, something impossible to ignore. This time, there are no rules about teammates or timing. Only fear, second chances… and a little girl who might just change everything.

Dean never believed he’d get a shot at the life he once ruled out. Vivian never thought she’d want one again. But sometimes, the hardest thing isn’t moving on—

It’s allowing yourself to return.